Yankees Prospect Makes Huge Top 30 Jump

The New York Yankees have a prospect that is rocketing up the team’s Top 30 prospects list, which was updated by MLB.com on Thursday.

Right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton, who is now at Double-A Somerset, was the team’s fastest-rising prospect in the adjusted rankings, taking into account the first four months of the season and last month’s MLB Draft.

Hampton moved from No. 24 to No. 4 in the rankings.

Why did Hampton make such a jump? Per MLB.com:

A Texas Tech product, Hampton went from the sixth round of the 2022 Draft to the Yankees' best pitching prospect in less than a year. His fastball, curveball and slider all play as plus pitches at their best, as does a cutter that he has added since turning pro.

The Yankees took Hampton in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft and did not send him to an affiliate until 2023, when he started the season at High Class-A Hudson Valley. In nine starts with the Renegades, he went 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA in 47 innings. He struck out 77 and walked 16. He also allowed batters to hit just .179 against him.

That earned him a promotion to Somerset on June 15. While he has a losing record in nine starts (1-2), he has a 4.99 ERA and has thrown 48.2 innings. His strikeout and walk numbers have held steady with 56 strikeouts and 20 walks. Batters are hitting .239 against him.

For the season he’s 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 18 starts and 95.2 innings. He has struck out 133 and walked 36 with a .210 opponent batting average.